Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the most expendable players right now

3. Ivica Zubac

Yes, that’s how expendable Ivica Zubac is. No one knows who he is outside of the Lakers organization, so they had to have him hold up a piece of paper with his name on it. Ouch.

(It’s a joke, but I digress.)

Zubac begins this list for a couple of reasons. The first is that, up to this point, he hasn’t lived up to the hype. A former second round pick dripping with sleeper potential, the Croatian looked like a steal for the Lakers as a rookie. In his second NBA season, though, he took a big step backwards, putting his future with the franchise in doubt.

And the other reason?

Heading into what could very well be his final year in Los Angeles, Zubac is facing an uphill battle. JaVale McGee possesses underrated potential as the Lakers’ starting center, while Moritz Wagner figures to get minutes at the 5 when healthy. If Luke Walton chooses to go small, LeBron James could bump down to center, further limiting Zubac’s opportunities for minutes.

Can Zubac turn things around in Year 3? That’s likely what the Lakers are hoping for, but it’s far from guaranteed. Magic and co. will certainly be holding out hope, but don’t think they’re afraid to pull the plug if they don’t see significant progress through the first couple of months of the 2018-19 campaign.